Defence, Diplomacy, and Development

This past Wednesday, Brentwood hosted Lieutenant Colonel Stanley Willow. The infantry officer addressed students in three Socials 11 and Global Studies classes, discussing his personal experiences in peacekeeping and development in war-torn nations from Kosovo to Sierra Leone. In 35 years of keeping fragile peace agreements as a member of the Canadian Forces, the Lieutenant Colonel has often acted as both soldier and diplomat. He believes that, in light of conventional war becoming less and less prevalent, “peacekeeping is a broken model.” Similarly, as religious extremism and the targeting of civilians are becoming more prevalent - as in Afghanistan - Western powers cannot impose a peace. The ideology of fanaticism must be changed – a daunting task. Lieutenant Colonel Willow educated the students on what he believes is necessary for progress to occur – defence, diplomacy, and development.

Ian M